When tools are used in a manufacturing or service environment, it is important that tools be returned to a storage unit, such as a tool box, after use. Employers typically perform a manual inventory check of the tool box to minimize or eliminate the problem of misplacement or theft of expensive tools. Companies can conduct random audits of employee's toolbox to prevent theft and monitor tool location.
Some industries have high standards for inventory control of tools, for preventing incidents of leaving tools in the workplace environment where they could cause severe damages. For the aerospace industry, it is important to ensure that no tools are accidentally left behind in an aircraft or missile being manufactured, assembled or repaired. The Aerospace Industries Association even establishes a standard called National Aerospace Standard including recommended procedures, personnel management and operations to reduce foreign object damage (FOD) to aerospace products. FOD is defined as any object not structurally part of the aircraft. The most common foreign objects found are nuts, bolts, safety wire, and hand tools. Inventory control over tools is critical to prevent tools from being left in an aircraft.
Some toolboxes includes build-in inventory determination features to track inventory conditions of tools stored in those toolboxes. For example, some toolboxes dispose contact sensors, magnetic sensors or infrared sensors in or next to each tool storage locations, to detect whether a tool is placed in each tool storage location. Based on signals generated by the sensors, the toolboxes are able to determine whether any tools are missing. While this type of inventory check may be useful to some extents, it suffers from various drawbacks. For instance, if a sensor detects that something is occupying a storage location, the toolbox will determine that no tool is missing from that storage location. However, the toolbox does not know whether the right kind of tool is indeed placed back in the toolbox or it is just some objects placed in the storage location to cheat the system. Furthermore, disposing sensors for numerous storage locations in a toolbox is tedious and costly, and the large number of sensors is prone to damages or malfunctions which will produce false negative or positive alarms.
Accordingly, there is a need for an effective inventory control system that that could assist tracking and accounting for usage of tools and whether they are properly put back after usage. There is also a need for an inventory control system which knows exactly what tool is removed or returned to a tool box. Furthermore, as multiple workers may have access to the same tool box, there is another need for an inventory control system that can track a user and his or her usage of tools, to determine responsibilities for any tool loss or misplacement.
This disclosure describes various embodiments of highly automated inventory control systems that utilize unique machine imaging and methodology for identifying an inventory condition in the storage unit. Illustrative features include the ability to process complex image data with efficient utilization of system resources, autonomous image and camera calibrations, identification of characteristics of tools from image data, adaptive timing for capturing inventory images, efficient generation of reference data for checking inventory status, autonomous compensation of image quality, etc.
An exemplary inventory control system or method according to this disclosure utilizes a highly efficient and economical approach to apply suitable imaging parameters for capturing images of a storage drawer being accessed by a user or manipulating the captured images of the drawer. An inventory condition of the drawer is determined based on the captured images or manipulated images. The system includes a plurality of storage drawers for storing objects; an image sensing device configured to capture images of the drawers; a data storage device storing imaging parameters corresponding to each storage drawer; and a data processor is configured to: determine an identity of a drawer being accessed by the user; access the imaging parameters corresponding to the determined identity of the drawer, wherein the imaging parameters are used by the image sensing device in capturing an image of the drawer being accessed by the user or used by the data processor to manipulate the captured image of the drawer being accessed by the user; and determine an inventory condition of the objects stored in the storage drawer according to the captured image or manipulated image.
In one aspect, the data processor determines the identity of the storage drawer according to an identifier unique to each storage drawer or a state of a signal generated by a sensor. In another aspect, the imaging parameters include at lest one of exposure parameters, shutter parameters, illumination parameters and color gains. The imaging parameters are pre-stored in the data storage device or accessible by the system via a data transmission network or a removable storage device attached to the system.
The exemplary systems and method as described herein may be implemented using one or more computer systems and/or appropriate software.
It is understood that embodiments, steps and/or features described herein can be performed, utilized, implemented and/or practiced either individually or in combination with one or more other steps, embodiments and/or features.
Additional advantages and novel features of the present disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the present disclosure. The embodiments shown and described provide an illustration of the best mode contemplated for carrying out the present disclosure. The disclosure is capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive. The advantages of the present disclosure may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.